


Linger in Silence

by holdouttrout



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-02-18
Updated: 2007-02-18
Packaged: 2017-11-15 21:04:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/531688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/holdouttrout/pseuds/holdouttrout
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short character sketch for Vala.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Linger in Silence

She gives Daniel a sharp look. Today, she’s mostly the woman she thinks they want her to be—that is, she’s acting more like Sam than the thief who stole the Prometheus in a past life. When she interjects a sly comment, they smile a little instead of glaring or rolling their eyes, although Daniel does that, too, more for old time’s sake than out of any real annoyance.   
  
She can practically feel herself sliding into respectability, and she’s not sure if that should frighten her or not. She’s definitely worried, because at the very least, she likes the way this easy camaraderie feels, as if she had been wet for ages and somebody finally held out a towel, wrapped her in it and in their arms, too.   
  
They think they’re tough, and they are, but none of them (except for Daniel, maybe) have ever really known what it’s like to be absolutely alone. They mean their speeches about teamwork and “no one left behind,” but they’ve never had someone there for years and years and years, controlling their thoughts, controlling their body (except for Sam’s taste of a few hours), and then suddenly poof! Nothing, and they’ve never been asked to rebuild from a vacuum so deep not even Sam could pull out something in time to save herself from falling.   
  
The first thing Vala had to relearn was the art of thinking.   
  
The second art was speech, and after that, movement, and after that, survival. Then came lessons in laughter, friendship, and finally...  
  
Well, she thinks it might be a while before she gets to love again, and all the time Adria’s existence tears up her heart along all the old, Goa-uld-worn lines—the lines of  _not in control_ , and  _being used_ , and  _her body damn it_!   
  
She accepts this, for now. She has to, or she cannot move forward and do what needs to be done. And maybe later she’ll forgive Daniel for seeing a little too clearly and maybe someday she’ll even forgive Sam for being able to love when she could not.   
  
And maybe someday they’ll make their happily ever after after all.


End file.
